U.S. men shrug off Turkey loss, advance to World Cup knockout round

Turkey’s 98th-minute winner on the final touch of the match turned a 3-2 loss into a late stress test for the U.S. men at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, but it did not change their path through the tournament. The Americans had already clinched first place in Group D before kickoff, and the defeat still sent them into the World Cup knockout round.

The result ended the U.S. men’s perfect start to the 2026 tournament after wins over Paraguay and Australia, a run that marked the first time since 1930 that the Americans won their first two World Cup matches. Even with the setback against Turkey, the bracket stays intact: the U.S. will face Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 in Santa Clara, California, in the Round of 32.

The scoreline also exposed the limits of the team’s control when the stakes rose late. Turkey found three goals against the U.S. defense, and the final one arrived in the 98th minute, the kind of finish that can decide knockout games in an instant. If the Americans want their confidence to look earned rather than rhetorical, they will need cleaner closing stretches and more certainty when a match turns ragged.

There was still evidence of depth and attacking promise in the defeat. Auston Trusty scored his first U.S. men’s national team goal, giving the Americans an early lift, and Sebastian Berhalter added his first World Cup goal as well. With Christian Pulisic rested, Mauricio Pochettino used the match to manage minutes for regulars, a move that underscored how securely the U.S. had already advanced before the ball was kicked.

That context matters, but it does not erase what the Turkey match asked of the Americans. The team had already done the important work in the group stage by beating Paraguay and Australia, and Pochettino downplayed the loss after the group win was secured. The next round will offer a sharper test: Bosnia and Herzegovina will not care that the U.S. entered the knockout stage as Group D winner, only whether the Americans can defend a lead and survive the final minutes.